When Mohammed al Fahim was born, the UAE was still a collection of warring tribes, so isolated from the modern world that only a lucky Sheikh could afford to drive a second-hand car. Today, the flashy Ferraris and Jaguars that zoom up and down the smooth roads linking the seven Emirates are as ubiquitous as the towers rising in the desert. And Fahim, perhaps more than most, appreciates a good car. The Abu Dhabi resident and honorary chairman of the Al Fahim Group has a collection of 48 antique vehicles for which he has just built two hangars at his farm outside the capital.
"We didn't have electricity or radios or cars or anything when I was younger. Because we missed out on all these things, I want to collect them," says Fahim as he drives his silver Mercedes 4X4 to the date palm farm in Al Bahia. "And here we are at the car farm," he says, pulling up to the driveway. The narrow road leading to the hangars is lined with banana and mango trees. Several hundred metres from the main gate are the two buildings opposite each other. The first is used mainly for maintenance, the second, where we stop, houses most of the cars. The vast room is climate-controlled and the ceiling is low. Two rows of gleaming vehicles, all models dating from 1913 to 1960, face each other.
"I like older cars," he says, wiping a smudge of dust off the bonnet of a maroon Jaguar. "They are more stylish and more decorative, more classic. After 1960 I stop because they are not very classic. The 1950s I love because they have a lot of chrome. I love cars with chrome." Some carry special memories, such as the 1948 Pontiac Buick with pine doors and a roomy wooden interior that resembles a log cabin.
"I call this Woody. I used to take the children to school in it," says the father of eight. He travels all over the world to buy cars including France, Portugal, America and England and pores over car magazines to find out the latest news about upcoming shows. Each car in his collection is part of his history, including a pair of red and green 1913 Morris-Oxfords which he bought in Wales for £25,000 (Dh183,000) each, 20 years ago. A crank in front of the bonnet starts the engine and the petrol is stored next to the driver's seat in a large, exposed, square tank.
Fahim, 59, was born in Muwayje near Al Ain. In those days, travel between the oasis town and Abu Dhabi was a seven-day trek by camel. People rarely ventured outside their sheikhdom because intertribal warfare and the heat made journeys too dangerous. His father was one of the few people who could read and write and because of this Sheikh Zayed made him an advisor. "Sheikh Zayed told my father to go and import cars. They were doing it in Dubai and Bahrain so we should too," he says. When the business began, the vehicles were off-loaded from freights onto a barge about three or four kilometres offshore. Then they were tugged by boat to a beach and driven off wooden ramps set up on the sides of the vessel. As Fahim supervised all this, customers waiting on the shore approached him with a price. After some haggling, a wad of cash was exchanged for a set of keys and the new owner drove off. There was no paperwork. Today, the family business has contracts to import Mercedes-Benz, Fiat and Chrysler.
Fahim got his first car, a Chevrolet Impala, when he was 18. Unfortunately, he says, he doesn't have it anymore. "I felt like a king taking my friends for a ride. They were jealous." In the 1960s there were few roads and drivers had to swerve quickly to avoid getting stuck in the sand. The dark army-green 1952 Land Rover parked in the hangar, made in Solihull, England, was typical of what Abu Dhabi inhabitants drove at the time.
"This is the type Sheikh Zayed used to drive," he says. "It's a four-wheel drive, four-cylinder. It didn't even have a key. You could press down the knob and the car started. You had to be a rich man to drive this." The most unusual vehicle Fahim owns is the German-made amphibious Amphicar, a red 1964 model that can travel at a top speed of 11 kilometres per hour in the water because of the twin nylon propellers in the undercarriage. Only a few thousand were ever made.
"I used to go fishing with this car in shallow water," he says. Widely regarded as an authority figure on the history of Abu Dhabi, Fahim's first-hand account of the transformation of the city into a glittering and modern city state is recorded in his book, From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi. One of the most potent symbols of that transformation was the arrival of the car. "Without the car Abu Dhabi would not have developed," he says. "Abu Dhabi had oil fields in the western region, 400 kilometres away, the agricultural lands were 100 kilometres away and the fishing ports were another 100 kilometres away. Cars were instrumental."
He says he wrote the book to preserve local history and teach his children that life was not always easy. "We had to work very hard, we suffered. We didn't get things on a golden spoon," he says. He continues: "The level of satisfaction has changed. In my days owning a bike was a treat. Now my sons want supercharged cars. I have a four-year-old grandson. And if I ask what he wants he says 'a Lamborghini or a Ferrari?'"
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
WHAT%20ARE%20THE%20PRODUCTS%20WITHIN%20THE%20THREE%20MAJOR%20CATEGORIES%3F
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20materials%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20specifically%20engineered%20to%20exhibit%20novel%20or%20enhanced%20properties%2C%20that%20confer%20superior%20performance%20relative%20to%20conventional%20materials%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20components%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20includes%20semiconductor%20components%2C%20such%20as%20microprocessors%20and%20other%20computer%20chips%2C%20and%20computer%20vision%20components%20such%20as%20lenses%20and%20image%20sensors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20products%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20includes%20personal%20electronics%2C%20smart%20home%20devices%20and%20space%20technologies%2C%20along%20with%20industry-enabling%20products%20such%20as%20robots%2C%203D%20printing%20equipment%20and%20exoskeletons%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Strategy%26amp%3B%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
